Some statements may merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The recent increase of shale gas development in a number of areas around the world has heightened public awareness and concern regarding hydraulic fracturing. Shale gas development entails fracturing operations using large volumes of water (generally 3 to 5 million gallons per well), and small amounts of chemical additives to fracture the horizontal wells. While general descriptions of the constituents of these additives and their purposes are publicly available, the precise additive compositions are kept proprietary by the service companies. Much of the public residing in the shale gas basins is unfamiliar with oil and gas drilling and production activities, creating a perception of industry “secrecy” surrounding additive compositions and leading the public to distrust service companies. As a result, various non-governmental organizations and public interest groups have been working to raise the alarm about potential groundwater contamination and possible chemical exposure.
Especially, in the United States, on Jun. 9, 2009, legislation was introduced in both houses of the United States Congress to amend section 1421(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 USC300h(d)). This legislation was introduced by Diana DeGette, D-Colo., Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and Jared Polis, D-Colo., in the U.S. House of Representatives and by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in the Senate. The House and Senate bills are both referred to as the “Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act”, and propose repealing the 2005 Energy Policy Act exemption of hydraulic fracturing from UIC regulation under the SDWA. As such, the bills would require disclosure to regulatory and emergency medical staff of the chemical constituents utilized in the hydraulic fracturing process.
Thus, there are unfulfilled needs for environmentally friendly treatment fluids in the hydraulic fracturing.
The present disclosure covers the use of a set of environmentally improved products to make a slickwater fluid which has no solvent, or hazardous material in it. The composition includes a friction reducer, a biocide, a scale inhibitor, and optionally a clay stabilizer.